The vassal princes from all over the country came to Beijing to congratulate His Majesty and the Emperor's legitimate son on the Longevity Festival this year. This decree is quite simple.
The Ming Dynasty vassal king was not allowed to enter the capital without an edict. But this time, the emperor ordered all the vassal kings from all over the country to come to Beijing together, regardless of whether they were close or distant.
After the edict reached the King of Chu's palace, King Zhu Rong of Chu suddenly fell ill.
He was really frightened.
Of course, it was precisely because he was sick that his son, younger brother, and close relatives of Chu Fan could come to visit him. With the female family members nearby, it was inconvenient for the palace officials to stay in the prince's bedroom.
"It's true that the old things of the past are happening again!" Zhu Rongchan's eyes were full of reluctance. "In the past when Lord Jianwen was in power, there were also two or three sycophants who tried to instigate new policies and reduce vassal status!"
"Ahem, cough, cough..." Zhu Rong was startled, "Don't...don't speak nonsense!"
"Brother Wang! With the new law in Guangdong, how important is the Tax Department? Not to mention the Tax Department, with regard to water conservancy and land clearing, even if the palace does not have to bear taxes and servitude like the officials and gentry, how much income will be lost in the future? Besides, there is a precedent for the clan’s salary to be reduced, so who knows if there will be more salary reductions and more salary reductions in the future?”
At the beginning of the Hongwu Dynasty, the clan's salary was paid in full. But by the late Hongwu Dynasty, there was actually a situation where half of the people were given food and half were given treasure money.
In the thirteenth year of Zhengtong's reign, a vassal king asked for a full salary, but the Ministry of Household Affairs blocked it.
In the third year of Hongzhi's reign, a large number of clan members asked for full stipends, but the Ministry of Household Affairs still blocked them.
Nowadays, it is the princes who have lost half of their color, while those below the county prince have lost 60% or even 70% of their color.
When the treasure notes first came out, they were always worth one stone and rice. During the Yongle period, ten coins were worth one kilometer. Now, let alone that.
Zhu Xianrong said angrily: "The annual salary for those below the rank of general or county head is less than 400 dan. After the discount, the actual grain is less than 200 dan. The whole family lives on this salary. If there is a debt, the clan is not allowed to leave. How can we survive if we are not allowed to make a living on our own if we have a fiefdom?"
At this moment, he was talking about the large number of low-level clans accumulated over more than a hundred years in a prosperous clan.
The Ming Dynasty did have many restrictions on the clan: they could only stay in the fiefdom and needed permission to travel; they were not allowed to participate in scientific examinations; they were not allowed to make a living; they were not allowed to associate with officials...
But for the prince of each sect, there are still a lot of resources in his hands.
The first is to enfeoff the Lutian that was granted during the feudal period. As a rule, these fields are managed by local officials. However, after collecting the land tax every year, it will be kept in the local grain and then paid to the royal family.
In addition, each royal palace has its own farmland that was granted during the vassal period and later. These farmlands are tax-free, so the palace rents these farms out. As long as the price is set, there will be many people willing to rent them.
As for additional special assets like the Wuchang Tax Division, that is another matter.
Zhu Xianrong said that it was difficult for those at the bottom, various lieutenants of Zhenguo, Lieutenants of Fuguo, Lieutenants of Fengguo, and county monarchs, to live a very difficult life. That was because they really could only rely on their salaries.
When it comes to lineage, the princes of each generation of each feudal clan are their clan masters. But how come the various other incomes of the palace are distributed to these lower-level clans?
The noble man will be killed for five lifetimes!
Zhu Rong didn't care about this at all now. He just asked in a panic: "What should I do on the Wan... Longevity Holy Day...?"
He really didn't know what he would encounter after entering the capital under the order.
Zhu Rongchan and Zhu Xianrong were silent.
Can you still resist the decree?
"Hateful!" Zhu Xianrong looked at his father who was getting worse and worse, and was even more worried about whether the kingship could be successfully passed on to him. "In the past, Fang Xiaoru, Qi Tai, and Huang Zicheng advocated the reduction of the vassal, and then there was the Jingnan incident! Now that Yang Tinghe and others are promoting the new law, they are actually trying to trick His Majesty into summoning all the vassal kings from all over the world to come to the capital. There must be a conspiracy!"
"Brother Wang, does Marquis Jing'an stay in Wuchang Mansion? Does he have any hidden secrets?" Zhu Rongchan said with bright eyes, "All the princes and relatives from all over the world have come to Beijing. With such an abnormal decree, I'm afraid that Your Majesty is in a critical situation! The Marquis of Zhenyuan welcomed the Marquis of Jing'an all the way to Wuchang Mansion, and then they got along very closely! The Marquis of Zhenyuan is still serving as the chief military officer of Huguang! If he also enters the capital, who will take over the military power of Huguang?"
Zhu Xianrong immediately answered: "The news in Beijing said that Hui Anbo was arrested for treason, but in fact it was just because he embezzled money! There is nothing like this in the world about money. This is based on the importance of the capital camp to your majesty. Provocation, if we surround the world's vassal kings and their relatives in one breath, the two groups of people who are loyal to Your Majesty will be completely wiped out, and there will be no obstacle in front of the traitors!"
They analyze it very well.
According to the emperor's decree, it is really relatively simple for the vassal king to enter the capital.
The most important thing is the honorable ministers from various places, especially those who hold important official positions.
If they want to enter Beijing, what will happen to their original official positions? With all the distinguished officials from all over the world moving to Beijing, who can take over these official positions?
Do you need a pledge of support?
Gu Shilong's hands were trembling a little, and he asked Sun Jiao in a trembling voice: "What is your Majesty doing?"
Sun Jiao, who had just been relieved that his daughter had given birth successfully, had a wry smile on his face: "What do you think? Are we really waiting for the new law to be implemented nationwide, while various places are still making noises? Jiajing five years ago was the time to clean up the provinces. . Now, let’s start cleaning up the clan members who resist.”
His words were straightforward, and Gu Shilong looked at him in disbelief: "Although our Zhenyuanhou family has always believed in a strict family tradition, they still inevitably have unfilial sons. How many of the world's noble relatives are clean? The world's military generals, and how many of them are clean?" How many people are not greedy for food and salary?”
In Gu Shilong's view, this will only make most people fearful and then unite.
After all, Sun Jiao was a consultant, and the letter he received was different from the order Gu Shilong received.
"Rebellion is rebellion. If you think that corruption is the cause, you are either stupid or deliberately instigating." Sun Jiao briefly recounted the relationship between Zhang Wei and Li Xiang, and the existence of people such as Yan Shenggong, Shen Wenzhou, and Zheng before saying. , "When the case continues, the world will know that they were convicted for treason. Not only did they conspire to prevent the new law from being considered as treason, but they had already reached out to the Beijing camp, allowing Zhang Wei to dare to resist the order and raise troops to rebel! Greedy Mo It’s just a small matter. Whether or not the new law is blocked is a big deal!”
"...The exchange of news is measured in months! If Your Majesty intends to do this, why not inform the world without knowing it?" Gu Shilong felt that it was too difficult to control the situation, "In the current situation, who is loyal and who is traitorous, how to distinguish? If someone takes risks out of fear, , there will be people who blindly follow them, how can the world be suppressed as quickly as possible?"
"That's why I stay in Huguang!" Sun Jiao said decisively, "Since His Majesty has issued such a decree, the Beijing camp must have been selecting leaders and even sent to the provinces, and the Tiqi must have dispersed to various places. In the Ming Dynasty, if you want to If you use force to resist, you will either become a bandit and be exterminated, or you will collude with the vassal king or important ministers to issue a petition in the name of the Qing Dynasty. There will be merit, and it depends on how the vassal kings and honorary relatives in the world choose to receive the order. Now, Your Majesty only needs the roster. ,Do you understand?"
Gu Shilong's back felt cold.
Just need the list, this is so cruel.
What if it’s a list of people who have been falsely accused?
…
When the news reached Sichuan, there were two honorable ministers here to receive the order.
Xue Lun, the chief military officer of Sichuan and Marquis of Yangwu, had just ascended the throne and had been training in Sichuan to become Guo Zan.
Naturally, there is also Zhu Rangxu, the tenth generation king of Shu.
Xue Lun became a prince in the twelfth year of Chenghua, and it has been forty-eight years now. And Guo Zan only ascended the throne last year, and he is as young as Xue Lun's grandson.
"Master Marquis, if we all go to Beijing, what will the Sichuan Dusi do?"
Xue Lun was silent for a while, and then just said: "It's only April, there's still half a year left, your Majesty will make arrangements."
In the 16th year of Zhengde's reign, when His Majesty gave a banquet in the palace to announce the Holy Edict, it was Guo Zan's father who attended the banquet.
Later, Guo Zan was invited by his father to join the army and stated that he would continue to follow the route of military merit.
After ascending the throne, Guo Zan went to Sichuan Dusi and served as the commander of the capital.
Xue Lun, on the other hand, is similar to Gu Shilong. He has always been the kind of minister who can have some prestige in the military.
Hearing Xue Lun say this, Guo Zan hesitated to speak.
Who doesn’t know what’s special about Sichuan? The hometown of Yang Tinghe, leader of the new party, is now governor-generaled by Fei Hong, leader of the old party.
Xue Lun, who is already old, and Guo Zan, who has just ascended to the throne, are undoubtedly loyal to the imperial party.
One needs to care about the succession of his title, and the other needs the emperor's trust to get a chance.
"Master Marquis, please teach me. I really can't understand this will."
Xue Lun shook his head: "You can't understand, and I can't understand either. Now that I've accepted the order, let's send a congratulations first. I will go to the meeting for instructions on military matters."
In Chengdu Mansion, the governor, Fei Hong, went downstairs to inspect the tea class.
Sichuan produces tea, and March and April are the tea production seasons. Tea tax accounts for a large proportion of Sichuan's tax revenue.
Now, within the Sichuan Chief Envoy Division, the Left Chief Envoy Yang Junlin and the Inspector-General Gao Kewei have come together.
The tea in front of the two of them was already cold, but they were not waiting for Fei Hong.
Their frowns could only mean one thing: They were about to make a very difficult decision.
"It will take a month to get Meng Chun's letter." Gao Kewei said, "Li Xiang's body was imprisoned, and what was discovered was that Your Majesty directly accused Hui Anbo of treason! When Li Xiang got the honor of being a member of the army, what was he doing? Magistrate of Guangzhou. Now, there are too many things to worry about! Should Fei Zichong wait for the time and act or help His Majesty slow down the troops? Are there any other secret orders to Sichuan? Conspiracy against this network..."
Before he finished speaking, Yang Junlin held the teacup and knocked it on the cup irritably: "Why rush? Even if His Majesty is determined to change the law and is acting like this, the one who fears the most is Yang Tinghe! The world is in panic, and Yang Tinghe is always being pushed out. It’s possible to make people angry and calm their hearts!”
"It's okay to coax others, but don't coax yourself!"
Gao Kewei was not polite. After scolding him, he picked up the cold spring tea and took a sip.
Yang Junlin had a dark face.
yes. After summoning the vassal kings and relatives to the capital, Yang Tinghe neither dared to make such a suggestion, nor could he do it so cruelly.
Who dares to do this without a strong enough army?
If the military power was already in Yang Tinghe's hands, why would he do something like this that would cause controversy in the world?
So this could only be the will of the emperor himself.
The problem is: the unrest caused by this approach is also there.
Previously, the new law only affected the taxes and services of officials and gentry, but now it also affects feudal princes and relatives.
In the land of the world, civil servants of third rank and above generally have their own account in mind.
Regardless of the imperial village, the total number of tax-free farmland owned by the clans in the world should be tens of thousands of hectares, overtly and covertly - this number cannot be obtained unless the entire country is completely cleared of land.
After the clan, the relatives also have farmland. With the honor of being a kinsman, and being able to serve as military attachés in various places, the farmland he was granted openly, the land he bought, the land he secretly received from the military members, and the land under the name of his in-laws, the total could add up to 200,000 hectares. ?
Yang Junlin was not sure of these figures, but he knew that the clan members were resistant to the new law, which would also affect them.
"If Your Majesty is using the treasonous label to force some feudal lords and nobles to submit to the new law, the more severe the pressure is now, the more serious the backlash will be in the future!"
Gao Kewei's eyes widened when he heard what he said: "The future? It's now! The knife has been drawn out. Can we wait for the future?"
What worries him is the fate of these old parties.
Therefore, he hated Fei Hong even more!
It seemed that the emperor was angry at the bad situation in Guangdong and decided to support the new party, but in fact, it became more and more wrong.
An important reason for the implementation of Guangdong's new law is Huangmingji! Huang Mingji and Zhang Fujing cooperated tacitly. Is there really the emperor's scruples about the new party?
On the contrary, Fei Hong, the leader of the old party, fought tit-for-tat with the new party for several months when he was still a cabinet minister. After arriving in Sichuan, he said one word: endure!
Should the Yang family’s local background be used for impeachment? Ren: This will only make His Majesty think that we are using underhanded tactics to engage in party strife.
What should we do if taxes in Guangdong increased a lot last year? Ren: Let your majesty see that our Sichuan is not as big as it is, and the officials and gentry can make the country rich by paying their own way.
Tea classes, salt classes, water conservancy rectification... Fei Hong, the leader of the old party, used a competitive attitude to carry out reforms in Sichuan, wasn't it? It’s just not as dramatic as Guangdong.
"It is a rule that the officials and gentry pay themselves. It is a rule that you pay what you pay! Now it is clear that the new law is simply your Majesty's decision. We have all been deceived by the fee charge! I don't believe you can't see that the clan members have come to Beijing. Quick knife!"
Gao Kewei's eyes flashed fiercely: "What your Majesty wants is not to wait until the world is already at war before taking action. The only way is to strike first and overwhelm the rest! To do this kind of thing, the only way is to find a name first and then have a list. You want Think about it, over the past two years, Fei Hong has had a huge list!"
Yang Junlin suddenly turned his head and looked at him: "You know this is not a trick. Those who make the world dissatisfied with the new law will jump out first? The year before last, we could go to Shang Shu to remonstrate the shortcomings of the new law. This year, we just have to see whether Zai Shang Shu will be punished! Don't do it! You act so rashly! You have been trained in the capital camp for nothing? You are just a few soldiers in the Yamen, how can you be so bold?"
Gao Kewei sneered: "As members of the military camp, the ministers can pretend they don't exist, but the burden is on the guards. Since the court is acting, we have done it too! Yang Tinghe kidnapped His Majesty and killed his relatives, and now he even controls the Beijing camp. We also want to catch all the feudal lords and relatives in the world! They have raised their sharp swords, so we have to wait any longer? Qing Jun is at the right moment!"
Yang Junlin was shocked: "Are you crazy?"
"Who knows the difficulty of the Shu Road? Marquis Yang Wu and Cheng Anbo, if I shovel the Yang family's ancestral graves in their names, will these two honorable ministers have a way to turn back? Will Your Majesty believe it? Can Yang Tinghe let go? Pass them and Fei Hong?"
Gao Kewei looked at Yang Junlin with fierce eyes: "What did you say?"
"...If we don't share the same goals, how can we accomplish anything?"
Gao Kewei shook his head: "We are timid. How many like-minded people are there when it comes to the new law? They are all just afraid of getting into trouble! How powerful is the new law now? Once you get up high and call out, what kind of crowds will follow! Don't you dare, I dare!"
(End of chapter)
